THIS CURRENT DEBATE about constitutional reform, and the responses to the government’s cherry picking of some of the ideas to go forward with, boil down to the difference between responsible representation, or the lack thereof, in this territory.
What has transpired lately shows us a government completely disconnected from the people it rules; and insensitive to the dreams and aspirations of its constituents. As much as a lot of this is sad – this moment must also become a defining one for all of us. We must not let it go either unnoticed or unpunished.
In the questions I have put down for the meetings in the House, when it meets on Wednesday and Thursday this week, just before publication of this article, I am asking each of the members on the government side whether they have consulted their constituents concerning government proposals for selective changes to the Constitution, to come into effect before the next election. If these changes do come into effect, then it is critical to acknowledge whether or not their constituents had approved such changes. The lack of transparency between political representatives and the citizens is a glaring problem that we are facing.
Government members have not made it a central theme of their movement to address the political processes that should be made public and that are subject to the peoples’ opinions and consent. They have completely ignored it as a plank to be discussed. They have failed to value the wishes and feedback of the constituents that are required to abide by reforms and policies that get passed.
Political representation is the activity of making citizens’ voices, opinions, and perspectives “present” in public policy-making processes. Political representation occurs when political actors speak, advocate, symbolize, and act on behalf of others in the political arena.
Anguilla has a chance to reform the constitution in a way that would benefit all Anguillians now and for generations to come. However, rather than act in the best interest of all the people, the AUF administration has cherry-picked components that only serve to benefit them politically. We are being hoodwinked.
The unfortunate part about this current situation and debate is that the behavior of this government on this issue is consistent with their behavior on others. Their arrogance is alarmingly consistent and predictable. As if true to form, this government once again ignored the voice of the people and pushed forward their own agenda – as if they are CEOs of their own companies, where the workers have no say.
We hope that the Foreign Office has taken note of the developments, and that it will not be party to frustrating the general will of the people. The Victor Banks administration has so far botched the entirety of the reform efforts – so much so that it undermines their very legitimacy on the issue.
In this respect, it has become necessary that the government seeks a new mandate from the people. So we are now formally demanding fresh elections. We should let Anguillians throughout the territory decide, through a direct vote, the leaders and the group they want to lead the process of desired constitutional reform.
Constitutional reform is a wholesome activity which, if done thoroughly and in keeping with the wishes of the wider population, will make Anguilla stronger – and will indeed deepen our democracy. As this government has largely ignored the wishes of the people, I fear it may, for a while, resist this demand for fresh elections. But time will indeed catch up with them.
They can run, but they can’t hide!
